What I Thought I Knew: A Memoir by Alice Eve Cohen Read Free Book Online Page A

the highway.
    “Pease slow down. We’ll talk about this later.”
    “Later when? Later after Wichita or later before Wichita?”
    “Tonight. As soon as we get home.”
    He’s driving so fast, I’m scared we’ll crash. I cover my face with my hands.
    “Slow down!”
    He does. We drive a bunch of miles in silence. Connecticut, the Constitution State, welcomes us with a blue highway sign. I turn on the radio and we listen to NPR for the rest of the drive.

Scene 3
    The Wichita Option
    The Wichita Women’s Health Center telephone receptionist, with her friendly midwestern voice, explained the late-term abortion procedure. “Yes, ma’am, first they’ll anesthetize the fetus so that it won’t feel anything. You’ll be sedated during this. Then the doctor will inject the fetus with a lethal drug—it will be painless to the fetus, ma’am. In order to make the delivery safer for you, the surgeon might sever the arms and legs of the fetus, of course after the lethal injection has taken effect. It’s not a fast process, you have to be prepared for that, ma’am. It can take up to five days. Your cervix will be dilated over a one-to-four-day period. Then the doctor will induce labor, and the delivery will take place under sedation. . . . Yes, it’s most likely that you will deliver a dismembered and stillborn fetus. . . . Yes, I know this is not easy to hear, Ms. Cohen. Then we dispose of the remains, unless you wish to make alternate arrangements. Some women choose cremation or burial.
    “I do need to inform you, as well, ma’am, that there is antiabortion hostility directed at our center. There are protests outside the center every single day. We have had some violent incidents. I must advise you to make reservations at the one hotel in town that is safe and secure for our patients. You should reserve a room right away, while you are contemplating this decision. And there is only one taxi service in town that will be safe and secure to take from the hotel to the women’s health center. You will stay in the center for two to five days and then stay at the hotel for another two days to recuperate. During that time, you can come into the center to be seen by our doctors and our counselors.
    “We recommend that you have someone come with you, Ms. Cohen. It can be painful to go through alone—physically and emotionally. But if you don’t have someone with you, our counselors on staff will be available to talk to you before and after the procedure. We accept virtually all insurance policies. . . . Yes, even the Oxford Liberty Plan. . . . You can change your mind, even the same day. We are here to serve the needs of our patients.”
     
     
    “I wonder what I would do if I were in your shoes,” said Dr. Rosenbloom, while looking at the sonogram on the video screen. “You and I are the same age. I have no idea what I would do. By the way, I can see why you didn’t feel any kicking. The placenta is positioned at the front of the uterus, so it cushions the baby’s kicks. You probably thought you had gas.”
    She told me to cancel all of my performances and avoid any physical exertion and to let her know of my decision.

    “You’ll do whatever you want to do. Let me know what you decide,” says Michael, assaulting his suitcase with neatly folded business suits, costumes, and props. “If you abort this baby, I guess I’ll move somewhere in the middle of the country and work at a 7-Eleven or something.” He picks up his bags and leaves for the airport for a week in Cleveland.
     
     
    My sisters Madeline and Jennifer stay close by me for the next few days. They don’t want me to make this decision alone. They both advise me not to have an abortion. They won’t go with me to Wichita, for practical reasons, they say—too short notice, busy at work—but they’re protesting this abortion. Madeline and Jennifer are both staunch advocates of abortion rights, and I’m surprised not to have their